July 05, (THEWILL) —Chelsea progressed to the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Palmeiras at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday evening. The result ended the Brazilian club’s four-match unbeaten streak at the tournament and sets up another South American encounter for Enzo Maresca’s side against Fluminense in the next round.
Cole Palmer opened the scoring for the Blues in the 16th minute, controlling expertly before firing low into the bottom-left corner from inside the penalty area. The England international had threatened earlier when his curling effort from distance forced Weverton into action, but the Palmeiras goalkeeper could not prevent Palmer from finding the net shortly after. Chelsea dominated the remainder of the first half, with Christopher Nkunku squandering a gilt-edged opportunity when he blazed over from close range.
Palmeiras emerged from the interval with renewed vigour and drew level through Chelsea-bound teenager, Estevao, whose thunderous strike cannoned off the crossbar before crossing the line past a helpless Robert Sánchez. The 17-year-old’s equaliser breathed life into Abel Ferreira’s side, who began to match their English Premier League opponents in terms of tempo and attacking intent during the second period.
The decisive moment arrived with seven minutes remaining when Malo Gusto’s cross took a deflection off Bruno Fuchs, wrong-footing Weverton and allowing the ball to creep over the goalline. The fortuitous nature of the winner did not diminish Chelsea’s satisfaction, particularly after Weverton had denied them a second goal by tipping Noni Madueke’s late effort onto the post.
Maresca’s team now face Fluminense in the semi-finals, marking their second consecutive meeting with Brazilian opposition at this tournament. The victory is a significant step towards Chelsea’s ambition of claiming their first Club World Cup title, though they will need to overcome another stern test from South American football’s representatives to reach the final.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
